Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

by the skin of one's teeth

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.10 in modern English

Syllables: by the skin of one's -teeth
IPA

38

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

2

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.

Example Sentences

"I passed the test by the skin of my teeth."
"I would have liked to have hung around in Birmingham, but my connections are tight owing to a points failure, and I make the CrossCountry Class 170 to Derby by the skin of my teeth."

Etymology

* From Job 19.20. "My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh. I have escaped by the skin of my teeth."

Phrases

close shave

Frequently Paired Words

close shave

Synonyms

by a hair's breadth with the skin of one's teeth

Questions

What does by the skin of one's teeth mean?: Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.
Where does by the skin of one's teeth come from?: * From Job 19.20. "My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh. I have escaped by the skin of my teeth."

How to pronounce by the skin of one's teeth

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